All of the early technology pioneers were right, as ever since the dawn of the Web, the largest sites on the WWW were initially Search Engines, such as AltaVista, Dogpile, Lycos, Excite, etc.
Now, Google, Yahoo, and Bing (Microsoft), the survivors, are among the largest companies in the world. They were on to something, which was try and organize the random muddle of data information which was gathering and scattered across the Internet, better known as the Information Superhighway.
This is when the data was completely random and unorganized, and it needed some type of a hierarchical system based on relevance and popularity. The fact is, Internet users love to search, and they do so daily in the billions.
Search Still King
It was recently discovered that when gauging the online behavior of adults on the Web, not much has changed since its inception. The most popular activity, ever since the beginning of the Internet, still remains and is emailing and searching.
The users who go online, now either on their mobile devices or direct from their desktops, over 92% will perform some type of a search to find information, or to find a location, or a person. Over 64% percent will do so on a daily basis.
On any given month, there are anywhere between 175 to 200 billion searches that’s conducted worldwide on the various search engines, and this doesn’t include searches that are performed on mobile devices.
So with all this search happening, there’s an abundance of information which individuals can data mine. It’s become advanced to the point where it’s now down to a science on how and why people perform their searches.
You’re now able to take advantage of the various methods along with the powerful insights and metrics, taking actionable information by pinpointing and performing precise keyword search analysis. So although social media is currently all the buzz on the Web, and capturing all the headlines, search still remains the key dynamic.
How To Find Better Keywords For Your Site
Reverse Engineering – Find Out What They’re Searching For
If your company, or your domain name happens to rank well for a popular search engine query, you’ll then likely drive qualified and organic traffic directly to your site.
Knowing exactly which keywords drives those searches will help you in better understanding what these potential customers are actually looking for. If the products or services happen to match your business objectives, then elevate the content of your site, as well as throughout all your digital initiatives.
If you’re not generating enough or any traffic from any of the most obvious keyword search queries, you then most likely have issues with your search visibility, or the mechanics of your webpage, which you need to correct and improve.
Think what your most important, your most profitable, or your most unique products are. By doing a search, do they even appear on the first page of the search results. If not, then make a list of those which are missing, and then target them for SEO purposes, or use paid search to make them visible.
Take advantage of Google’s AdWords Keyword Tool which allows you to gauge the popularity of any keyword phrase, this based on search volume while also revealing related keyword phrases which you may of not thought of, or use.
Tracking Your Competitors
Performing concise keyword research will also reveal opportunities which your closest competitors are missing, or overlooking, and as a result can be excellent keywords which you can target and claim.
Keep in mind that your online competitors are most likely completely different from your “real world” ones, but that shouldn’t make a difference. The companies or sites which appear on the search results, and if you’re not there, then you’ve got some work to do to getting your share of the traffic.
So find the keywords which are more unique, which should generate more traffic with fewer competitors. Focus on your overall marketing as well as your product development efforts on these areas instead of attempting to compete for the most obvious ones, or for the most saturated keywords which are listed on Google’s Keyword Tool, which indicates the degree of competition.
Find Out What Your Competitors Are Doing
If your direct competition happens to be using paid search, they’re then able to bid directly on products, or services which are similar to yours. You should also be finding out if they’re doing this, by doing a search for your company’s product or service.
There are also advanced keyword competition research tools which are available through the various SEO vendors which reveals the exact keywords that your competitors are bidding on, and approximately how much it’s costing them.
You can also use your Google AdWords account by using the “Analyze Competition” tool, where you can get some free “peeks” from third-party SEO solutions such as SpyFu or SEM Rush, which are both paid services.
Staying Ahead Of The Curve
There’s nothing better than staying ahead of the curve, by identifying and then using potentially relevant keyword trends, this before your competitors use them.
The easiest way to do so is by using Google Trends, or Google Insights, and then running comparative queries on the keywords which you know are important to your product, or business, right now.
Then compare them against those that you think might be trending shortly. Find those keywords which are trending either up or down which should indicate if you should be paying closer attention to them.
Knowing Your Financial Return
When using the various search marketing tactics, even if they’re paid search campaigns, they can be cost-effective. You can use the various keyword research tools which can help you in estimating the cost of attaining the average visitor, as well as if that cost helps in you being able to generate effective ROI.
For the most precise information, go to the source itself by creating a Google AdWords account. Once there, go directly to the “Traffic Estimator” tab to see the estimates on both the traffic, as well as the costs per click, which determines how much you can or are willing to bid on, and what it’ll cost for you to acquire a visitor. Keep in mind that a “visitor” doesn’t equate to a sale or a lead.
Remaining Vigilant
All keyword search queries as well as buyer behavior is a constantly moving elusive target. So to keep on top of it, you need to perform diligent routine keyword research on your market, which will help you in making sure that you stay ahead of the curve.